Trap-nest



PATENTED JAN. 26,1904. A. G. ROOT.

TRAP NEST.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1903.

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Patented January 26, 1904.

PATENT ()EEICE.

ALBERT G. ROOT, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

TRAP-NEST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,702, dated January 26, 1904.

Application filed April 24, 1903. Serial No. 154,056. (No model.)

1'0 all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. Roor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Danbury, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Trap-Vest, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a nest for laying hens that will segregate a single laying hen from a flock of hens or will segregate any number of hens that may use the nest from the flock, the nest returning automatically to the receiving position as soon as it is vacated. 7

It is of course well understood that keepers of hens are frequently desirous of separating laying hens from those of a flock that do not lay or to ascertain what hen or hens may be laying any special quality of eggs. This may be required for various purposesas, for example, a change of feed for different classes of hens. here the flock is a large one and general nests are provided, it is extremely diflicult, if not impossible, for the owner to determine which hens are productive and which are not. The use of one or a series, depending, of course, upon the size of the flock, of my novel automatic trap-nests enables the owner of a flock of hens to determine at once which hens are laying.

WVith this end in view I have devised the novel trap-nest, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly broken away, of my novel automatic trap-nest in the receiving position; Fig. 2, an elevation the reverse of Fig. 1-that is, from a point of view directly opposite to the point of view in Fig. 1- the nest being represented as in use. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, onan enlarged scale, on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2 looking toward the right.

My novel nest comprises a cylindrical base 10, which rests upon and is secured in any suitable manner to a support 11, which may or may not be a floor and which is provided with an opening 12 in the rear, and a cylindrical box or body 13, which is providedwith an opening 14 in front and is adapted to move upward and downward spirally in the base. The principle of operation is that when not in use the box is held by a spring at the raised or receiving position, in which opening 14 is at what I shall term for convenience the front of the nest, so that any hen from a flock may enter the box at opening 14. The power of the spring, however, while amply strong to raise the box to the receiving position and retain it there is instantly overcome by the weight of a hen entering the box, and the box will descend slowly with a spiral motion until the bottom of the box rests upon support 11, which places opening 14 in the box in alinement with opening 12 in the base, so that the hen can only pass out at the rear of the nestthat is, at the opposite side from where she enters the nest-the opening in the rear of the nest leading in practice into a separate inclosure.

15 denotes the spring, which is coiled loosely about a stud 16, which is rigidly secured to and depends from an overhead support 17. The spring lies between. an upper collar 18, which is loose upon the stud, and a lower collar 19, which is adjustably secured to the stud in any suitable manner, as by a set-screw 20, which enables the operator to regulate the tension of the spring by moving collar 19 upward or downward on the stud.

21 denotes spiral grooves in the stud, which are engaged above the upper collar by arms 22, which are rigidly secured to and extend upward from the box. In the present instance I have shown the stud as extending downward through an opening 23 in the top of the box. It will be obvious, however, that the details of construction may be greatly varied without departing from the principle of the invention.

The normal position of the parts is as in Fig. 1,the box being shown as in the receiving position. The weight of a hen entering the box at opening 14 will cause the box to descend slowly with a spiral motion, making in the present instance a half-turn, which, as already stated, will place opening 14 in alinement with opening 12. The hen can then pass out at her pleasure into another inclosure.

As soon as the hen has left the nest the spring will cause the nest to rise spirally, making a partial turn, thus placing it in the receiving position again. It is obvious that the nest may be used successively by any number of hens, one entering the box as soon as another leaves it.

In order to provide for segregating individual hens from the flock, I provide a springcatch 24: upon the box, which is adapted to engage the corner of opening 12 in the base, as clearly shown in Fig.2, and lock the box against upward movement when the hen leaves it. The catch is of the simplest form possible and is provided with a head (see dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 2) which projects slightly over the opening in the box, as shown in Fig. 1. l/Vhen the box is pressed down into the base, as in Fig. 2, the lower end of the catch necessarily rides over the top of the base, and when the head of the catch reaches opening 12 in the base it drops into said opening and locks the box against upward movement until the catch is lifted by hand to release the box and permit it to rise spirally, as already fully described. I have shown the catch as secured to the box by set-screws 25 and 26. When it is desired to have the catch inoperative, but without removing it from the box, set-screw 26 may be removed, the catch swung upward out of operative position and locked there by turning set-screw 26 into a hole 27, which is provided for that purpose in the box.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A trap-nest comprising a base having an opening, a box having an opening out ofalinement therewith in the raised position and in alinement therewith in the lowered position, a spring for holding the box at the raised position and means for causing the box to turn spirally when it is moved downward against the power of the spring by the weight of a hen.

2. A trap-nest comprising a base having an opening in the rear, a spirally-moving box having an opening in front when at the raised position, a spring for holding the box at the raised position and means for causing the box to make a partial turn spirally when the power of the spring 1s overcome by the weight of a hen, so that the opening in the box will register with the opening in the base.

3. A trap-nest comprising a base having an opening, a box having an opening out of alinement therewith in the raised position and in alinement therewith in the lowered position, a depending stud having spiral grooves, fixed and loose collars on said stud, a coil-spring between said collars and arms extending upward from the box and engaging the grooves above the loose collar, the spring acting to hold the box at the raised or receiving position until its power is overcome by the weight of a hen entering the box, which will then move downward spirally and place the opening in the box in alinement with the opening in the base.

4. A trap-nest comprising a base having an opening, a box having an opening out of alinement therewith in the raised position and in alinement therewith in the lowered position, a spring for holding the box at the raised position, means for causing the box to descend spirally when the power of the spring is overcome by the weight of a hen entering the box and a catch for locking the box at the lowered position against the power of the sprin 5. A trap-nest comprising a base having an opening, a box having an opening out of alinement therewith in the raised position and in I alinement therewith in the lowered position, a

depending stud having spiral grooves, a collar adj ustably secured to the lower end of the stud, a loose collar on said stud, a coil-spring between said collars and arms extending upward from the box and engaging the grooves above the loose collar, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT G. ROOT.

Vitnesses:

E. ROLAND CRoFU'r, GEO. F. ALLEN. 

